Scarlean
After our very interesting interview with Alex de
Scarlean, it was impossible for us to miss the performance of the French band scheduled for early today on the Mainstage.
I was blown away by the performance of the frontman. It has to be said that the surprise was great, as we see a band perfectly cut out for the stage...
Alex navigates this immense stage with disconcerting ease, playing with his voice like a toy with infinite possibilities, truly inhabited by his music, he delivers an impeccable performance, well transcribing the determination put into his latest album "Soumates".
The musicians are no less impressive, giving life to the tracks chosen for these few dozen minutes of happiness which delighted the few hundred early risers who made the right choice to come and applaud them. A performance that makes you want to see a longer, more complete set, we hope soon!
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
No remedy
Protest Progress
Next to the maker
The hand on your skin
Wonderful Life (Black Cover /Feat Anneke Van Giersbergen)
Wake Up Right Now
Bloodywood
The first real slap in the face of the day's discoveries comes with the long-awaited Bloodywood...
If the play on words in the band's name tells us a lot about what's in store, the Indians' performance is unmistakable: the mix of genres is just mind-blowing and bursting with energy, provided by the two frontmen, who play on rap and heavier flows.
Folklore blends perfectly with guitar saturation, and chords with traditional instruments seem disconcertingly obvious.
The Indian band have come to impose their culture on a genre that knows little of it, with the crowd in front of the Mainstage treated to a wall of riffs backed by Dantesque percussion to great effect.
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
Gaddaar
Aaj
Dana Dan
Machi Bhasad (Expect a Riot)
Hierophant
A radical change of atmosphere, sounds and imagery for a show more in line with what you'd expect at the Temple, with the Italians from Hierophant and their classic blackened death metal, in their first appearance at Hellfest.
And off we go for an uninterrupted thirty-minute set of dominant mid-tempo and raw, oversaturated riffs, as basic as they are effective.
The only fly in the ointment was the rather sparse audience under the tent, who certainly preferred to take it easy so as to better manage the rest of the day...
More pictures in HD
here
Fever 333
Fever 333 is a new sure bet that Ben Barbaud's teams wanted to invest in, and in view of the previous performance it was an obvious choice. After a looooong introductory speech given by Jason Aalon Butler on women's rights, showcasing his sublime bassist who doesn't hesitate to pose, it's finally the expected surge that's sent straight to our faces.
And that's not the only message of tolerance and respect delivered by the frontman, who is surrounded by African-American musicians, a fine opportunity for a reminder of the importance of equality and inclusion.
Incidentally, Fever's music hits the mark as expected, but the singer's usually wild performance seems almost toned down, even watered down.
But that didn't stop a fine farandole of slammers cheering Jason on as he took a dip in the crowd...
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
BITE BACK
Only One
Made an America
One of Us
Swing
Song 2 (Blur)
Burn It
Hunting Season
Kalandra
The temple was packed to the rafters for this melodic, atmospheric band with its pleasantly pure sound and vocals.
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
Borders
Slow Motion
Naive
Virkelighetens Etterklang
Goat horn jam
Ensom
Helvegen (Wardruna)
Brave New World
Evergrey
I had no intention of checking out Evergrey, but it was their set that made me linger in front of the Mainstage. Tom S. Englund's band had no trouble holding my attention...
Fair and ultra-energetic, the Swedes' set is an obvious choice, as is the time slot, which is beginning to give way to bands with a large audience extending behind the refreshment stands...
For a neophyte like me, the set was perfectly suited to discovery, which is exactly what I did when I got home.
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
Save Us
Weightless
Call Out the Dark
Midwinter Calls
Where August Mourn
Eternal Nocturnal
King of Errors
Asking Alexandria
Well, another dilemma with one of these (often) American bands that I'm starting to confuse because their music is so similar, and I find myself in a time slot where I'm hesitating between stopping for a drink to get my strength back and continuing to survey the front of the stage, so I settle down for a few minutes in front of Asking Alexandria...
You can't get it out of my head that many of these bands are superstars in the US, and arrive on the old continent with their own codes at the top of their 10/15 year careers... Yet musically, I have little to reproach them with, apart from a major lack of identity.
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
Alone Again
The Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)
Into the Fire
Where Did It Go?
The Violence
Run Free
Down to Hell
Dark Void
Alone in a Room
Beast in Black
Beast in Black is the kind of band you see at every festival. Last year, it was with Battle Beast and its offbeat imagery, which to my taste doesn't add much apart from a fairly clean universe, but not mine...
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
Blade Runner
Sweet True Lies
Blood of a Lion
From Hell With Love
Hardcore
Die by the Blade
Blind and Frozen
One Night in Tokyo
End of the World
Arch Enemy
Here's a band that represents Hellfest! With In Flames, you're guaranteed a show and a wild crowd. Seen several times at festivals and in concert halls, they're always good, their singer is top-notch, and there really aren't many bands who deliver as much as they do.
They played their songs and were true to themselves. They broke it down and the crowd followed. Fifty minutes of happiness too short
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
Deceiver, Deceiver
War Eternal
House of Mirrors
My Apocalypse
The Watcher
The Eagle Flies Alone
Handshake With Hell
Sunset Over the Empire
Nemesis
Myrath
A new departure in sound and atmosphere with a band we hold dear: Myrath.
After a long-awaited introduction featuring the artists' entrance on the Temple's narrow stage, the appearance of Zaher Zorgati preceded by extras carrying flaming torches for a rather grandiose effect, supported by a sublime oriental dancer, it's a rather complete set that is offered to the numerous audience members who came to applaud them.
Faithful to expectations, the musicians are as smiling as they are efficient, with melodies perfectly blending oriental sounds and saturation, strongly supported by Morgan Berthet's percussion behind the drums.
The Tunisian band were widely acclaimed at the end of the concert, and, as usual, gave their all.
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
Born to Survive
Into the Night
Dance
Child of Prophecy
Merciless Times
Heroes
Candles Cry
Believer
Shehili
Porcupine Tree
Highly-anticipated today on the Mainstage, Steven Wilson and Procupine Tree, whose latest album was one of last year's releases, make an entrance that's as discreet as the concert will be, 15 years after their first visit.
The introverted frontman is in top shape, playing with the photographers by posing, and displaying a complicity we've rarely seen before.
As if the success of their excellent "Closure/Continuation" had galvanized the band, who have full confidence in the huge stage and the ever-packed audience, Wilson and his bandmates deliver a heavy show. A little gift with 'Open Car', which will delight the purists, the show goes by at high speed and leaves us with almost a bit of frustration, after a speeding 'Trains', after which the band reap the deserved acclaim...
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
Blackest Eyes
Harridan
Of the New Day
Rats Return
Anesthetize
Open Car
The Sound of Muzak
Chimera's Wreck
Trains
Powerwolf
The German band always puts on a show on stage, and once again they were no exception. A huge stage presence, the singer harangues the crowd and uses his charisma to draw everyone into his artistic universe.
The songs follow one another without losing energy or rhythm, and the sound is relatively good. In short, a very good experience
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
Faster Than the Flame
Incense & Iron
Amen & Attack
Dancing With the Dead
Armata Strigoi
Bête du Gévaudan
Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend
Fire and Forgive
Blood for Blood (Faoladh)
Sanctified With Dynamite
We Drink Your Blood
Werewolves of Armenia
Lorna Shore
Lorna Shore wasn't an option for me, as I'd never had the chance to see them live before, and as I'm so taken with Will Ramos' vocals, I had to see it, or rather hear it with my own ears...
There's no doubt about it, this guy doesn't have the vocal cords of the average person... The mastery of his voice is exceptional, and I can't take my eyes off his extraordinary performance. You either hate it or love it, I don't know where I stand, I just remember having particularly analyzed it to see if his voice was real...
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
Sun//Eater
Cursed to Die
To the Hellfire
Of the Abyss
Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer
Into the Earth
Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames
Pain Remains II: After All I’ve Done, I’ll Disappear
Pain Remains III: In a Sea of Fire
Faun
A short folkloric break with a group that must be seen live, as the richness of its sounds makes it a wonderful experience...
There are fewer folk groups this year than in last year's double edition, when we noted a large number of small groups in the Nordic tradition.
Like a poetic pause where flutes, hurdy-gurdies and bagpipes take pride of place, the Bavarians give their all to convey this festive good mood to the Hellfest crowd who have come to travel between Stray From the Path and Iron Maiden.
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
Baldur
Diese kalte Nacht
Walpurgisnacht
Nacht des Nordens
Odin
Gwydion
Iduna
Galdra
Rhiannon
Rappel :
Wenn wir uns wiedersehen
Ran
Within Temptation
After the Born of Osiris, Arch Enemy and Stray from the Path concerts, I was pretty tired and followed my mates. A regular Hellfest customer, the Dutch band hadn't impressed me the last few times, and I'd found their songs boring and lacking in rhythm. But tonight they were in shape!
Just like Powerwolf, they put on a great show, keeping up the pace, the energy and the crowd going. Well done to them. A good set-up of old and new songs.
More pictures in HD
here
Setlist :
Our Solemn Hour
The Reckoning
Faster
Bleed Out
Paradise (What About Us?)
Angels
Raise Your Banner
Wireless
Entertain You
Stand My Ground
Supernova
Don't Pray for Me
In the Middle of the Night
Stairway to the Skies
What Have You Done
Mother Earth